A hectic last half-hour when Bangladesh lost three wickets in six overs has hurt their standing in the Wellington Test against New Zealand

The Report by Alagappan Muthu15-Jan-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:15

Isam: New Zealand back in it courtesy injuries and collapse

Bangladesh claimed a lead of 56 by bowling New Zealand out for 539 and swelled it to 122 by stumps on the fourth day, but not without casualties. The biggest of them was Imrul Kayes, who was stretchered off the field with what looked like an injury to his upper left thigh. He had kept wicket for 148.2 overs, substituting for the injured Mushfiqur Rahim and the strain of returning immediately to open the batting caught up with him while attempting a quick single in the last half hour of play. He had to dive into the crease, landed awkwardly and just lay there motionless. When the physio made his way out and tried to rouse Kayes up to his feet, he basically buckled. He just could not support his weight on his legs.New Zealand were able to send back three more Bangladesh batsmen in the last half hour to set up a final day for which entry is free at Basin Reserve. They had begun bowling thinking the draw was the only result. With two innings left to pack into a day and bit’s play, not many would fault them for that assumption. But with each wicket, they began planting close catchers and benefited from the opposition batsmen making bad choices.Tamim Iqbal was caught napping by the first instance of sharp turn. A ball spat out of the footmarks in Mitchell Santner’s fourth over and bowled him as he tried playing a cut. Then Mahmudullah tickled a harmless short ball – rare considering it came from Neil Wagner – to BJ Watling behind the stumps. And finally the nightwatchman Mehedi Hasan ran himself out looking for a second run off what became the last ball of the day.The good thing for Bangladesh though was Mushfiqur was seen padded up and they also have first-innings double-centurion Shakib Al Hasan in the shed, who should give them the stability they need when play resumes at 10:30 am on Monday.Imrul Kayes’ record

177 Tom Latham’s score, his highest in Tests. This is the second-highest score by an opener in Wellington. The only higher score by an opener here was Jackie Mcglew’s unbeaten 255 in 1953. Latham’s 177 is also the fourth-highest score for a New Zealand opener at home, and the fourth-highest for New Zealand against Bangladesh in Tests.

5 Number of catches taken by Imrul Kayes – the most by a substitute wicketkeeper in one innings of a Test. Previously the record was Majid Khan’s four catches against West Indies in Kingston.

3 Number of instances where Bangladesh have taken the lead against New Zealand in 12 Tests. This is the first time they have got the lead in New Zealand. The other two instances came in Chittagong in 2008 and 2013.

Nevertheless, it was a disappointing end to the day for the visitors, particularly considering the discipline they showed with the ball. Kamrul Islam Rabbi and his accurate bouncers off his slingy action were particularly hard to deal with. He struck Wagner on the shoulder once, then on the grille, which shifted back to bruise his chin and the back of his neck as well. The batsman required medical attention from the physio multiple times but refused to go off the field until he top-edged a pull to the wicketkeeper. It was Kayes’ fifth catch of the match, the best haul by a substitute gloveman in Test cricket.While everyone knew that wicket was coming, part-timer Mahmudullah’s scalps were huge surprises. He often bowls in limited-overs cricket, especially at home, on slow, turning pitches. But Basin Reserve was nothing like that. The healthy grass cover on the surface made sure it held together well enough that even on the fourth day there was little spin. The bounce and pace was true and the ball kept coming onto the bat, so a spinner had to deceive batsmen in the air.So naturally it was a silly old short ball down the leg that made things happen. Watling, on 49, wound up, trying to pull it to the fine-leg boundary, but all he could do was feather an edge through to Kayes, who had run three feet or so to his left, desperate to stop byes against his name. He had his eyes turned away from the ball when it settled snugly in his gloves.This sequence of pure comedy was so baffling that umpire Paul Reiffel didn’t spot the edge. Shakib, taking over leadership duties briefly with vice-captain Tamim off the field at the time, opted for a review and when confirmation of the nick came the entire team erupted in laughter. Four balls later Tim Southee was trapped lbw by Mahmudullah and Bangladesh were in splits.There was one person who was decidedly stormy at that turn of events. Tom Latham. He was in the middle for 329 balls to make his highest Test score of 177. Since his first-class debut in 2010, only twice had he and the batting crease spent more time together. In 2013, he lasted 423 balls for an unbeaten 241 and in 2014 when a 383-ball investment gave him 261 runs. He fell attempting a shot that contributes a lot to him being an all-conditions batsman – the sweep.Latham misjudged the line as Shakib tossed the ball up on middle and off. There was no room to work with, and it was a tad too full as well, sneaking under his bat to hit his front pad in front of middle stump. His 177 made it to the top 10 scores by an opener in New Zealand and he walked off to warm applause from the Sunday crowd, who at one point might have been wondering if play would begin on time.Steady rain was forecast and it remained overcast in the morning – misty, even. But the umpires thought conditions were still good enough to start play on time at 10.30 am. That had to be pushed back by three minutes considering the New Zealand team was only just getting to the ground.The home fans must have been chuffed with Santner though, who despite being ruffled by a short-ball barrage from the Bangladesh quicks, showed a willingness to fight it out. He took a blow to the helmet from Taskin Ahmed and nearly gloved Rabbi to the wicketkeeper but persevered through troubling times and began smacking the ball around in the final session – his cuts and pulls vicious – until he was last man out for 73 with six fours and three sixes. Bangladesh beat New Zealand to 10 Test wickets in an innings on this tour. Who would have bet on that?While Santner has impressed ever since he was drafted into the Test team in Australia in 2015, Henry Nicholls has been the opposite. The selectors clearly trust his talent; they’ve kept persisting with him at No. 5 despite an average below 30. He had the chance to repay their faith on a flat pitch but, having worked hard to make 53, he tickled a drifter from Shakib heading down leg stump to a gleeful Mehedi at leg-gully. It was like catching practice.Colin de Grandhomme hammered a four and six and then inside edged Subashis Roy to Kayes to give the debutant his first Test wicket.

Glasgow Rangers could have found their own version of a top-flight star as Michael Beale's interest in Cyriel Dessers has become well-known in recent weeks…

What's the latest Rangers transfer news?

With the Teddy Bears' arch-rivals retaining the Scottish Premiership last season, the Glasgow giants have got their work cut out for them if they're to overthrow the Hoops, so expect a busy summer from Beale's side.

Already, the club has been linked to numerous names as they look to strengthen the squad.

The likes of Lyndon Dykes and Charlie Cresswell are just a couple of the many names that have been linked with Rangers so far this summer.

One other name that the club are reportedly interested in is the Cremonese frontman, whose underlying stats and style of play are very similar to the Premier League star Callum Wilson.

Adding a goalscorer to the side is vital for Rangers, but adding one who so closely resembles a star like the Newcastle United and England man could be pivotal in the club regaining their status as Scottish champions.

How does Cyriel Dessers compare to Callum Wilson?

According to Opta Analyst, the underlying numbers between the duo are very similar. In fact, the player comparison tool gave them a 65.6% similarity score.

The duo take a similar number of shots per game, with Dessers – who is reportedly valued at just £7m – averaging 1.9 shots a game, while Wilson averaged 2.4 and the majority of both forwards' efforts came within the penalty area.

In fact, both men spent plenty of time inside the opposition area, with the Cremona forward among the top 95% of strikers in the top five European leagues for touches inside the penalty box, while Wilson was among the top 89%.

Another similarity the pair share is their aerial ability, with the "phenomenal" and "incredible" Dessers – as once hailed by ESPN correspondent Cecilia Lagos – in the 38th percentile of forwards in Europe's top five leagues in terms of aerial battles won, while Wilson put up similar numbers, with the Newcastle striker in the 40th percentile.

Comparatively, the strikers very rarely showcase a level of ball-carrying ability either, with the Serie A man's average of 0.5 successful dribbles a game almost identical to Wilson's 0.4 successful dribbles a game.

While the Newcastle man enjoyed a much more prolific season last campaign, the attributes and the tools are all there for the ten-goal machine to replicate his success if he were to make a move to Rangers, providing the club with a strong, goalscoring poacher that may help swing the balance of power in Scotland as they chase Celtic again next season.

Arsenal "remain favourites" to sign West Ham star Declan Rice and will indeed make a third bid despite rival interest, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Who will Arsenal sign this summer?

The north Londoners appear determined to challenge yet again for a Premier League title next season, after they fell just short of treble-winners Man City last campaign.

Arsenal have already agreed a deal to sign forward Kai Havertz from Chelsea in a big boost for the club, which means manager Mikel Arteta has more attacking variety at his disposal.

Meanwhile, it is believed that they could also be closing in on a move to sign Ajax defender Jurrien Timber, despite having a bid rejected, with reporter Chris Wheatley claiming they are on the verge of an agreement.

Southampton's Romeo Lavia is also a target for Arteta, with talks "progressing" and a hand-shake on personal terms apparently close with the 19-year-old.

However, one top target who has eluded them thus far is Rice, with West Ham already rejected two bids for him from Arsenal recently.

One of them was a club record, but despite the snubs, it is also believed that the Gunners are "serious" about signing him and will keep pushing.

Speaking to CaughtOffside, reliable journalist Romano has some good news on Rice amid Man City's real interest.

Other sources claim Man City are plotting a bid for the 24-year-old, which comes as a slight worry given their obvious pull, though Romano believes they "remain favourites".

He says this "for sure", while detailing that Arsenal are preparing a third bid for Rice and seem determined to seal his signing for Arteta.

Why do Arsenal want Declan Rice?

The England international was a star under David Moyes last season with WhoScored detailing that he stood out as their best-performer by average match rating over 22/23.

He also made more interceptions per 90 than any other Hammer in the top flight, prompting some real praise from ex-professionals, including former England defender Matthew Upson.

"He has worked really hard at his game, physically and technically," said Upson.

He can handle responsibility amazingly well, which is why he was such a young captain in the Premier League."

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:50

Coverdale: Warner must feel in better space than a month ago

Rain cleared in Sydney for the second time in as many days to allow further progression of the SCG Test but Pakistan will require a world record cloudburst of strokes to prevent Australia advancing to a third victory from as many matches in the series on Saturday.A firecracker of an innings by David Warner and handsome hands from Steven Smith and Usman Khawaja helped the hosts set Pakistan a distant 465 to win after Younis Khan’s excellent rearguard dissuaded the hosts from enforcing the follow-on. The wicket of an aggressive Sharjeel Khan gave Smith an opening before the close.The entirety of the first session was lost for the second time in as many days, but Smith’s team made up for lost time by rattling off 241 in a mere 32 overs. Warner was certainly not in the mood to linger, hammering 55 from 27 balls to put Pakistan immediately on the back foot. He took particular toll on Yasir Shah, taking one over for 22.Smith and Khawaja followed up with plenty of telling blows of their own to stretch the lead, with the captain ultimately closing the innings with 16 overs left in the day and another 98 on day five. Sharjeel’s attacking instincts were given brief vent but his time in the middle on debut was ended when he flicked without due care and attention to Warner, lurking at midwicket.Earlier, Yasir had lasted more than an hour in the company of Younis to ensure Smith needed to call upon Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood more than he would have preferred if he were to send Pakistan back in. Hazlewood finished an exemplary display with four wickets, the last of which a sharp reverse swinger to bowl Imran Khan for a duck.Australia had one glimmer of hope to end Pakistan’s innings quickly when play got under way, as Starc coaxed an outside edge from Younis’ bat. However, Matthew Wade, back on the field having missed most of day three due to illness, was unable to hold onto the edge as he dived to his right.By the time Hazlewood found Yasir’s edge, 44 runs had been wiped off the deficit and Younis had gone well past 150. Australia will be without Matt Renshaw, ruled out of the match due to the symptoms of concussion after being struck twice in the helmet in the first three days.Khawaja duly walked out with Warner, and was in a great spot for a spectator as Australia’s vice-captain fired shots to all parts and briefly threatened the world record for fastest Test hundred as a follow-up to his century before lunch on day one of this match.In the end Warner got a fraction ahead of himself, bowled when aiming an ugly smear at Wahab Riaz, but he earned a second standing ovation of the Test and allowed Khawaja and Smith to carry on comfortably in his wake – the captain ended the session with a thumping six into the SCG Members.The runs continued to flow after tea, Smith moving along at a scarcely slower pace than Warner had set, and he was surprised to be given out when the third umpire Ian Gould detected the merest touch on the glove down the leg side when he tried to sweep Yasir. There was time for some flourish from Peter Handscomb before the declaration arrived, leaving Australia with plenty of time to chase a clean sweep of the series.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou has personally held talks with the representatives of Leicester City star James Maddison, according to reports.

Who will Spurs sign this summer?

Maddison is being pushed as a top target for Spurs by sections of the press with some sources even suggesting that the 26-year-old was at the centre of a double bid last week.

The Lilywhites were said to have lodged an offer for both Maddison and his teammate, Harvey Barnes, worth in excess of £50 million which was swiftly rejected by Leicester.

Sky Sports rebuffed this claim, stating while Spurs had a serious interest in both, no formal proposal of any kind had gone in for the duo.

As well as the Foxes playmaker, it is believed that Tottenham are targeting a new goalkeeper, central defender and possible forward additions.

David Raya of Brentford is wanted to replace Hugo Lloris, meanwhile the likes of Man City defender Aymeric Laporte have been tipped with potential moves to Spurs.

Galasary forward Nicolo Zaniolo has emerged as a target in recent days, too, with Postecoglou seemingly looking to strengthen in various areas of the pitch.

Going back to Maddison, a report by Football Transfers has shared some interesting news on Tottenham's chase for the England international.

According to their information, Postecoglou has personally held talks with Maddison's agents recently, and he is thought to have made a really good impression on them,

This has apparently helped to sway Maddison more towards Tottenham than Premier League rivals Newcastle, and the former Norwich City star may be tempted to join.

Despite this, Maddison is yet to have any personal contact with Spurs, but Postecoglou coming across well to the player's camp could be crucial.

How many goals did Maddison score last season?

Maddison starred for Leicester over the course of 2022/2023, scoring 10 goals and providing nine assists in the league alone, totalling an impressive 19 attacking contributions (WhoScored).

The Three Lions ace also attempted more shots at goal per 90, completing more key passes and registered their joint-highest rate of successful take-ons in the top flight (WhoScored).

These numbers make one thing crystal clear – he is far too good for the Championship.

Whether it is Newcastle or Spurs, either side may be on to seal a very potent and capable attacking threat in the final third.

Former West Ham and Leicester City star David Connolly has also called Maddison "absolutely magnificent" for his form at the King Power.

Nick Gubbins hit an unbeaten half century to steer England Lions to the brink of victory in their warm-up game in Sri Lanka A before they were foiled by a spectacular storm

ECB Reporters Network14-Feb-2017
ScorecardNick Gubbins has been overshadowed of late•Getty Images

Nick Gubbins hit an unbeaten half-century to steer England Lions to the brink of victory in their warm-up game in Sri Lanka A before they were foiled by a spectacular storm.Not that the Sri Lanka President’s XI could be entirely written off. Gubbins was on 52 from 80 balls, and the Lions were on 171 for 6, still needing another 28 to win, when an alarming flash of lightning sent the players scurrying from the field.Thunder had been rumbling around Moratuwa, in the southern suburbs of Colombo, for a while, and within minutes it was raining heavily. But the result was never the priority for the Lions in this game, as they aimed to make the most of their only match practice before the first of the two four-day games against Sri Lanka A starts in Kandy on Friday. In that respect, Gubbins and coach Andy Flower declared it a major success.No comeback joy for LeachGetty Images

Jack Leach got through his first match back since remodelling his action with mixed results.
Leach, whose illegal action was spotted at the national academy in Loughborough, so preventing his consideration as a replacement on England’s Test tour of India, completed the three-day match against a Sri lanka President’s XI in Moratuwa without any major malfunctions.
Success was hard to come by, however. Leach took one late-order wicket in the first innings and then conceded 68 runs without success in 14 overs before a late storm prevented a positive result.

The game was played with pink Kookaburra balls, as the first four-dayer in Kandy will be, before the teams revert to red balls for the second match in Dambulla.”It was good for me to spend some time out there, and if you look through the game I think all of our batsmen and bowlers have got something out of it,” said Gubbins, who had a sterling season for Middlesex in 2016 but whose development has been overshadowed by the Test honours bestowed in recent months on fellow openers Keaton Jennings, who is skippering the Lions, and Haseeb Hameed.Two of Gubbins’ Middlesex team-mates, Ollie Rayner and Tom Helm, impressed with the ball as the Lions worked steadily through the six wickets that remained in the Board President’s XI second innings at the start of the final day.Rayner took the only two wickets of the morning session in a single over, both courtesy of Joe Clarke. Clarke was again wicketkeeping with the Lions taking no chances with Ben Foakes’s back problem, although the Surrey man is still hoping to take the gloves for the first unofficial Test.Clarke took a sharp catch then claimed a tidy stumping, and ended the match with seven victims after being doubtful himself before the match because of a wrist problem.Sam Curran then made an important double breakthrough after lunch, and Helm claimed the wicket a probing spell deserved when Hameed took a good catch running back from midwicket.Hameed then dominated an opening stand of 51 inside 12 overs with Keaton Jennings, making 39 from 45 balls including seven boundaries until he fell lbw to the left-arm spinner Malinda Pushpakumara.Jennings had only contributed seven to that partnership, but the Lions captain accelerated after tea, crunching a six over midwicket and scoring three of his seven fours with the reverse sweep that famously brought him a century on Test debut in Mumbai before Christmas. He retired a single short of 50 to give the other batsmen some time in the middle in a pressure situation – and it was Gubbins who made the most of that opportunity, hitting two sixes and earning praise from Flower for his skill against the spinners.”It’s my first time in the subcontinent – the camp in Dubai before Christmas was the closest I’d been previously,” Gubbins reflected, while in his post-innings ice bath. “So it’s a new experience, and I definitely learned lessons from the first innings, when I got out quite cheaply.”That’s been the aim of the winter: experiencing some new conditions and making myself a better player. I was pleased with the way I batted in the second innings of our game against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi, and to come here and put into practice is really pleasing for me.”The Lions leave Colombo for Kandy on Wednesday morning, to face a Sri Lanka A team led by Dhananjaya de Silva, who made an impressive debut in Test cricket against Australia late last year.

تقترب أزمة بين نادي ريال مدريد والاتحاد المغربي لكرة القدم بسبب، إبراهيم دياز، قبل انطلاق دورة الألعاب الأولمبية في الصيف المقبل، أولمبياد باريس 2024.

وتنطلق منافسات كرة القدم في 24 يوليو المقبل وتستمر حتى 10 أغسطس، وأقيمت بالأمس قرعة دور المجموعات.

ووقعت المغرب في المجموعة الثانية والتي تضم كلًا من الأرجنتين، أوكرانيا وثالث الترتيب في كأس آسيا تحت 23 عاما.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ريال مدريد يرفض الضغط على لونين رغم إصابة كورتوا

ولكن الأزمة تكمن في رغبة المغرب التي أعلنها رئيس الجامعة، فوزي لقجع، بعد القرعة وقال في تصريحات نقلتها صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية: “نعم، نريده أن يشارك في أولمبياد باريس”.

وكان دياز قد اختار تمثيل المغرب قبل أيام قليلة وتم استدعاؤه لمعسكر شهر مارس مع المنتخب الأول بعد انتظار طويل لمنتخب إسبانيا.

ومن المعروف عن ريال مدريد أنه لا يسمح لأي لاعب لديه للمشاركة في دورة الألعاب الأولمبية وهو الأمر الذي ينطبق على بعض اللاعبين مثل إدوارد كامافينجا.

وقام ريال مدريد بمخاطبة الاتحاد الفرنسي لكرة القدم وأكد لهم بأنهم يرفضون مشاركة كامافينجا مع الديوك التي تستضيف أولمبياد باريس 2024.

West Ham United are still basking in their recent Europa Conference League triumph, but they cannot afford to sit still when it comes to adding new players to their squad this summer.

Declan Rice appears certain to leave, while David Moyes could do with freshening up other areas after what was a disappointing domestic campaign, albeit one that ended on the highest of notes thanks to their continental success.

What is the latest West Ham United transfer news?

West Ham could ideally do with bringing in a new central midfielder to offset Rice's departure for a fee of potentially £100m, but that is not to say other players will not be heading to the London Stadium in the coming weeks.

According to Fussball Transfers, West Ham are working hard to bring in Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who is available on a free transfer after being released by Arsenal.

Maitland-Niles is a player who has top-flight experience in the Premier League and also in Serie A with Roma during an albeit forgettable loan spell, while his previous wages of £35k-per-week, according to Capology, should not be too much of a problem when it comes to negotiations.

What could be more troublesome is that teams from the Championship – and therefore more of a guarantee of regular action – plus Germany and Turkey are circling.

What could Ainsley Maitland-Niles bring to West Ham?

First and foremost, Maitland-Niles is a very versatile player, as he showed last season when effectively playing in six different positions during his time on loan with Southampton.

The 25-year-old was used all across the back four, at wing-back, holding midfield and attacking midfield. It is at right-back he was predominantly used, as per WhoScored, and that is likely where Moyes would utilise him at West Ham.

Vladimir Coufal would be the fall guy should that be the case, with the Czech midfielder coming off the back of a rather mixed 2022-23 campaign. After a really tough first half to the season, Coufal improved and helped write his name in club folklore by playing his part in their European triumph.

However, the soon-to-be 31-year-old, who was described as an "old timer" by The Guardian reporter Jacob Steinberg last season, could be one of those in which Moyes is targeting an upgrade.

Maitland-Niles is stronger defensively than Coufal, highlighted by the fact he won more tackles per 90 minutes in the Premier League last season (1.54 v 1.31) and blocked the ball more often (1.79 v 1.01).

While Coufal did come out on top for percentage of aerial duels won (64.5 v 57.7), Maitland-Niles was far superior in terms of successful take-ons (1.09 per 90 v 0.13) and pass-completion rate (79.2% v 62.2%).

Indeed, Maitland-Niles is ranked in the top 17% of all defenders across Europe's top five leagues for defensive actions, as per The Analyst, whereas Coufal is in the bottom 31%.

That is not to say Coufal does not have his own qualities, some of which have already been highlighted, but the former Saints loanees can bring defensive stability while also having the ability to attack and play in multiple positions.

As Arsenal writer Pedro from Le Grove told Hammers News, Maitland-Niles is an "immense" player who was "one of the best athletes at Arsenal".

The England international's two-decade association with the Gunners may have now come to an end, but an exciting new chapter could well await across London at West Ham.

“Decent stick I’ve got, I’ll put that one on ice until next time,” Martin Guptill said about the bat that helped him pile up his series-levelling unbeaten 180 against South Africa.It was a performance he rated as probably his best ODI innings, which would put it ahead of his 237 in the World Cup quarter-final against West Indies, because it came off the back of a month on the sidelines with a hamstring injury. That was a sentiment supported by his captain Kane Williamson who termed it a “world-class” innings.Guptill had only begun netting a week ago, and the session the day before the fourth ODI was the highest intensity he had trained at since injuring his hamstring before the one-off T20I against South Africa, which followed a previous hamstring strain during the home Chappell-Hadlee series. In all, Guptill has only batted three times in 2017, twice for New Zealand and once for Auckland: his scores 112, 61 and 180 not out.He had spoken before this match of hoping that he could regain the rhythm he had earlier in the season. The outcome was a magnificent display of clean hitting which included 11 sixes and left him with New Zealand’s three highest scores in 50-over cricket.”It’s pretty up there, possibly No.1. I’m reasonably happy with how today went without a lot of preparation,” he said. “It was difficult to bat all round, two-paced, turning, slower balls gripping, it wasn’t easy, and I wanted to create a good partnership. I did that reasonably well and fortunately I was able to get a few out of the middle.”He had immediately jumped in an ice bath after the match and said his hamstrings were “a bit tight” but nothing that wasn’t to be expected.The two camps differed somewhat on how the conditions panned out with AB de Villiers believing the surface eased, starting at the back end of South Africa’s innings when they scored 100 off the last eight overs, but Williamson supported Guptill’s view that it remained a tricky pitch throughout.”I said to Martin when he came off, that’s probably his best, and he’s done it a few times to be fair so there are a few tight comparisons,” Williamson said. “In a chasing effort on what wasn’t an easy surface and to hit the ball the way he did and play with the freedom we know he can and do something special against the best team in the world was a special, world-class effort.”In a chase of 280, Guptill inside-edged his first ball from Kagiso Rabada past the stumps, played out a maiden from Wayne Parnell in the second over and was 2 off 10 balls when he connected with a stinging pull shot off the left-arm quick for the first of his sixes. The splits for his fifties were 38 balls, 44 and 41 with his last 30 runs taking 15 deliveries.”I wanted to give myself a chance really, have a look at what it was doing,” he said. “I got a few away and developed a strike rate early at the top and carried it through.”Guptill’s innings continued an upturn in his fortunes against South Africa. In the previous one-day series between the teams, Guptill scored his first hundred against them in the second match in Potchefstroom having had a previous best of 58 from 12 innings at an average of 14.50. In the space of three innings, the average against South Africa has lifted to 35.92.”I’ve always rated him as a player, he’s had to work through a few things,” de Villiers said. “I was always hoping this day would never come, where he’s figured out his game, playing it nice and late and he’s moving well. I could sit here for quite some time and talk about that knock. It was a very special innings.”

New Zealand have to become better at reacting to pressure situations ahead of the Champions Trophy according to their coach Mike Hesson

Andrew McGlashan05-Mar-2017New Zealand have to become better at reacting to pressure situations ahead of the Champions Trophy according to their coach Mike Hesson. In the deciding ODI against South Africa at Eden Park they limped to 149 all out which led to their first home series defeat since 2014.The Auckland performance followed being turned over for 112 in Wellington earlier in the series, and though the collapses came against an impressive South Africa attack, and were balanced against a match-winning first-innings in Christchurch and the Martin Guptill-inspired chase, there was a sense of vulnerability outside of the big three in Guptill, Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor.Hesson hinted that there had been an honest appraisal in the aftermath on Saturday’s defeat, but said the fact the team had pushed South Africa, the No. 1 ODI side, close was a commendable effort.”You don’t want to state the obvious but sometimes you have to. When we were under pressure the way we responded wasn’t where were wanted to be,” Hesson said. “I thought we were in a bit clumsy with the bat, some of our decision-making under pressure – from some exceptional bowling – was disappointing.”It was a heck of a series and a bit of a ding-dong battled against the world No. 1. Wellington was quite different in terms of the surface, that was more nip, but we got put under pressure by a good side and weren’t able to deal with that. We’ll need to improve in terms of soaking up pressure which two or three times this summer we haven’t done as well as we’d have liked.”New Zealand had beaten Bangladesh and Australia on home soil this season and their last series reversal at home was against South Africa in 2014. They have now only beaten South Africa in two out of ten bilateral one-day series, but they did bring an end to their 12-match winning run which had been formed on the back of home whitewashes over Australia and Sri Lanka.”This was a lost opportunity, that would be a fair reflection,” Hesson said. “But most people will acknowledge that we’ve gone toe-to-toe with the best side in the world which many haven’t been able to do for a long time. We fell at the last hurdle, but all in all we’ve played some pretty good cricket.”New Zealand’s next one-day cricket is a tri-series in Ireland during May before the Champions Trophy in which they will be missing the IPL-based players. Hesson said that those matches would be important in answering some lingering questions, topping the list being who will take the keeping gloves between Tom Latham and Luke Ronchi.Hesson all-but guaranteed they would both be in the squad, and praised the pair’s work behind the stumps, but there is a curse on New Zealand’s glovemen in terms of runs: not since Ronchi’s unbeaten 170 in early 2015 has their wicketkeeper reached an ODI fifty.”Both Tom and Luke are highly likely to be involved. The series in Ireland will be crucial to get a pecking order,” he said. “I’ve been delighted with the wicketkeeping of both, but no doubt both are short of runs and that’s something Tom and Luke are well aware of, probably more than anyone. It’s not long ago that Tom was a really good performer for us at the top of the order. We know they are high quality players but have had a tough period.”